INTERPOL Operation Red Card 2.0 Arrests 651 in African Cybercrime Crackdown
Source: The Hacker News
Overview
An international cybercrime operation targeting online scams resulted in 651 arrests and the recovery of more than $4.3 million. The effort was coordinated by law‑enforcement agencies from 16 African countries under the codename Operation Red Card 2.0.
The operation ran from 8 December 2025 to 30 January 2026 and focused on infrastructure and actors behind:
- High‑yield investment scams
- Mobile‑money fraud
- Fraudulent mobile‑loan applications
It was conducted under the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime (AFJOC).
Participating Countries
Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Impact
- Financial losses exposed: USD 45 million
- Victims identified: 1,247 (mostly from Africa)
- Devices confiscated: 2,341
- Malicious infrastructure taken down: 1,442 IPs, domains, and servers
Notable Cases
- Nigeria: Dismantled a high‑yield investment fraud ring that used phishing, identity theft, social engineering, and fake digital‑asset schemes. Over 1,000 fraudulent social‑media accounts were removed.
- Nigeria: Arrested six members of a cybercrime syndicate that breached a major telecom provider’s internal platform using compromised staff credentials, stealing large volumes of airtime and data for resale.
- Kenya: Arrested 27 individuals involved in a fraud scheme that leveraged messaging apps, social media, and fabricated testimonials to lure victims into fake investments promising huge returns. Victims were shown counterfeit account statements but were blocked from withdrawing funds.
- Côte d’Ivoire: Arrested 58 individuals, seized 240 mobile phones, 25 laptops, and over 300 SIM cards to disrupt a predatory mobile‑loan fraud scheme targeting vulnerable populations with fake applications, excessive fees, abusive debt‑collection practices, and theft of personal data.
Statements
“These organized cyber‑criminal syndicates inflict devastating financial and psychological harm on individuals, businesses, and entire communities with their false promises,”
— Neal Jetton, INTERPOL Director of the Cybercrime Directorate
“Operation Red Card highlights the importance of collaboration when combating transnational cybercrime. I encourage all victims of cybercrime to reach out to law enforcement for help.”
Previous Phase
The second phase follows the first wave of Operation Red Card, announced in March 2025, which resulted in 306 arrests and the seizure of 1,842 devices between November 2024 and February 2025.
INTERPOL press release (2026)
Earlier INTERPOL announcement (2025)